Enviable Destiny
by Literary Eagle
Summary: A Sasami and Tenchi story.


Hi, everyone! Lookie, I've written another fic! As always, comments and criticism are welcome! (Begged for, actually.)

Special thanks, as always, go to my prereaders: AleeN, Max Gilliland, Rhys Doyle, and Lost Magi. I also have to thank K'thardin, who provided some additional help this time around. Besides, he and Max were the ones who managed to convince me to quit making excuses and write this story! (But K'thardin, did you have to use that cattle prod?!)

Legal disclaimer: Tenchi Muyo! and its characters are property of Pioneer and AIC. This story, however, is mine. Please don't sue me, because I'm just writing this for fun. It's summer, and I wanna have fun, darn it!

Enviable Destiny  
By Literary Eagle

Daddy was near tears. No, he WAS in tears, but I couldn't stop yelling at him.

"Why?!" I screamed, "Why didn't you tell me? I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!"

"Mayuka..." he began.

"Shut up!" I told him, "You lied to me!"

I had thought that I was just a normal eight-year-old kid, but I was wrong. Oh, was I ever wrong. Daddy didn't tell me that, though. No one in the house did. It was the nightmares that told me. Nightmares that had been haunting me for weeks. Nightmares where I'm bigger, and there's someone named Yuzuha, and I start killing Daddy and laughing...

After a while, I pieced together the whole story from the nightmares. I didn't want to believe any of it, but I had a feeling that it had really happened. It was a terrible feeling, one that just kept gnawing at me and wouldn't stop. I just had to know for sure. So finally, I asked Daddy, "Who's Yuzuha?", and from the horrified look in his eyes I just knew that it was all true.

My mother had been a demoness.

---

It was late at night when Daddy came into my room. I pretended to be asleep. He picked up Kale-Oh-Ki, my plush cabbit, off the floor, and tucked it under my arm. Then he kissed me on the forehead, like he did every night, and left.

When I was sure that Daddy couldn't hear me, I started to cry, burying my face into Kale-Oh-Ki. I had yelled at Daddy and said that I hated him. I had been so sure that he wouldn't kiss me tonight, but he still had!

That was why I had been so mad that he hadn't told me about my mother. The real reason I was mad wasn't because of me, it was because of him. I was afraid that I could become... THAT Mayuka again, and then attack Daddy and try to kill him. Didn't he get it? I loved him, and I didn't want that to happen! Here we were, pretending that I was an ordinary kid, when any day I might grow purple claws and hurt him like in my nightmares. Then I would strangle him, and laugh...

NO!

Why didn't he tell me?! Why, why, why?

I left my room and slipped outside. It was a clear summer night, and there was a full moon. I stumbled a bit, partly because it was still kinda dark, and partly because my tears kept making it harder to see.

It wasn't fair. I loved Daddy so much, but I didn't deserve him. I had tried to kill him, and someday I might try it again... and I might succeed. I couldn't give him the love and happiness he should get. In fact, I shouldn't even be living with him! It was too dangerous for me to be here!

I thought of Sasami. I thought of how she was the complete opposite of me. She was a beautiful twenty-year-old who made everyone feel happy and loved. She was going to merge with Tsunami very soon. She was going to become one with the spirit of the Tree of Light! Actually, in many ways she already was the perfect epitome of light.

What was I, compared to that? I was nothing like Sasami. I was an abnormal, blue-haired eight-year-old who had horrific nightmares, and who might someday become someone completely different. I envied Sasami.

Just then, I realized that I had wandered pretty far into the woods. Just ahead of me was a rocky ledge. I walked forward, until I could see the long drop in front of me. I couldn't even see the bottom, just darkness.

Suddenly, I knew what I could do, to protect Daddy. To protect him and the rest of my family. To protect them from myself.

I stepped closer to the very edge of the cliff. I could hear a voice inside of me screaming not to do it, but the memory of all the nightmares of the past few weeks came roaring into my mind, drowning out that scream. Then, the roaring was gone too, and the only thing in my mind was silence. I took another step forward. The scream of protest came back into my mind. I took a moment to stare into the invitingly quiet, dark place below, and waited for silence to return to my mind, so that I could take the final step and forever be a part of that quiet darkness.

*************************************************************************

It was about a year after Mayuka's suicide. Sasami stood by the window in the hall, letting the moonlight wash over her. She folded her soft hands in front of her, fingertips gently brushing her collarbones. She longed to feel another's hands on her. Tenchi's hands. She smiled. Soon, very soon.

A few more moments, and the assimilation with Tsunami would be truly complete. Her breath quickened with anticipation. Tenchi was in pain, but she would comfort him. She could fill the void that his daughter's death had left in his heart. She had the love, and soon she would have the light, and then she would complete him ... and he would complete her.

Yes, this was how it was meant to be. She understood that now. As she had come closer to the assimilation, she had come to see that. She ... Tsunami, actually ... had created Tenchi. Some of Tsunami's memories had somehow become muted, but she understood that much, at least.

Tenchi, same name as the Master Key.

He was her key. That had to be it. It was like those wonderful recipes she so adored. All those ingredients, carefully measured and combined just so, in order to make the perfect meal. Everything was coming into place at last. Once the assimilation was done, all that she needed was Tenchi, in order to be complete. Imagine that: Tenchi, her secret ingredient. She smiled again.

---

"Tenchi?"

"Hmm? Sasami?" Tenchi murmured groggily, sitting up, "What's the matter? What time is it?"

The only illumination in the room came from the moonlight. It was enough to show that Sasami, standing at the foot of Tenchi's bed, was dressed like Tsunami. She smiled as Tenchi's eyes widened with realization, but she could also feel the immense sadness that clung to him, and it almost brought tears to her eyes.

"Enough," she whispered, pulling the blanket off Tenchi's bed, "You do not deserve to be in such pain. I will help you to forget..."

She got onto the bed and put her arms around him.

"Sasami, what are you-" Tenchi broke off when he saw her moving in to kiss him. "Sasami, stop that!" he snapped, trying to back away.

Saddened at how Tenchi's pain was causing him to behave, Sasami summoned her power, which caused her to glow with a gentle radiance that revealed even more of her beauty than the moonlight's caress was able to.

Suddenly envious of the moonbeams that stroked Sasami's graceful form, Tenchi slowly brought his hand forward and touched her silken, water-colored hair.

Sasami smiled. Yes. She tapped into more of her power, and reached for the Jurai power within Tenchi. It responded, and without using her hands she was able to draw Tenchi closer to her, as the moon manages to invisibly guide the tide. She kissed him, pouring her inner light into him. The light within him responded, and he returned her kiss with his own fire.

Yes. This was how it was meant to happen. Everything was falling into place perfectly. Just like all her recipes, all the meals that she had prepared to show her love for him. Now there was no need for subtlety. After all these years, it was finally coming together, not just for her and Tenchi, but for everyone ... because her melody and Tenchi's melody had become parts of the same song, and now the whole universe would move to it.

---

Sasami smiled as she prepared lunch. It had been a week since her marriage to Tenchi. Sunlight streamed in through the kitchen window, embracing her in warmth. It also caused nearly everything in the kitchen to gleam. As usual, Sasami had cleaned the house until it was spotless. Just like everything else now was. Spotless. Immaculate. Perfect.

Ayeka slowly shuffled into the room, causing Sasami to frown slightly. Leave it to Ayeka to spoil it all. Ever since the wedding, Ayeka had eaten less and less. Fortunately, Sasami had the ability to shift Tenchi's focus to whatever she wanted, so that he would not have to endure the unpleasant sight of how thin and pale Ayeka had become.

Ryoko, thankfully, was a different story. The day of the wedding, she had sobbed in Washu's arms, then followed her mother into the lab and spent most of her time there. Although Sasami had not ventured into the lab since the wedding, she could sense what transpired in there. Washu was her sister, after all. Yes, she knew that now. What she also knew was that Ryoko had turned to Washu for comfort, reconciling with her mother.

Sasami's spirits were lifted at that thought. Soon, she would restore Washu's memories. Yes, then her sister and her niece would truly be a part of her and Tenchi's happy family. It was a shame that Mihoshi and Kiyone had left the Masaki home, due to their new promotions.

"Sasami?" Ayeka said weakly.

"Yes?" Sasami asked, slightly annoyed. Really, why couldn't Ayeka feel happy for her and Tenchi?

"I don't want any lunch today." Ayeka mumbled softly. The amethyst-haired woman then turned and slowly shuffled out of the kitchen.

Sasami turned back to the meal she had been preparing, smiling now that everything in the kitchen appeared perfect again.

---

Several days later, Ayeka left the Masaki home and departed for Jurai.

And Sasami smiled.

A week later, Ayeka was engaged to a Juraian lord, and it was announced that they would be the next rulers of Jurai.

Shortly before the day of Ayeka's marriage, the broken-spirited princess was deemed unfit to rule. The wedding was called off, and Tenchi and Sasami were declared to be the ones who would rule instead.

And Sasami smiled again.

---

Sasami and Tenchi stood side by side, taking in all the sights and sounds of the celebration being held to welcome the future rulers of Jurai. The royal gardens were alit with multicolored lanterns, and fireworks filled the Juraian night sky. Sasami turned her head to admire the many colors that were reflected in Tenchi's eyes. Tenchi noticed and looked into her eyes, smiling. What he saw reflected in her eyes were not the fireworks, though, but moonlight. Her eyes always held moonlight for him, and they always drew him to her. He leaned forward and kissed her, causing her to blush slightly.

Sasami finally pulled away from Tenchi, and scanned the crowd of Juraian nobles until she spotted Washu and Ryoko. Washu was not in her adult form, even though Sasami had restored her memories. Sasami shivered at how Washu had to tried to fight her as the memories returned, and screamed, "Sasami, you're hurting me!"

Fortunately, unlike Yosho, Washu had agreed to join Sasami and Tenchi on Jurai for the celebration, so Sasami was sure that her sister had forgiven her. Sasami was a bit baffled as to why her sister had erased her own memories in the first place. Why had Washu chosen to deprive herself? It had resulted in a life of great pain, and for some odd reason, she had even fought Sasami as her memories were given back.

At any rate, the important thing was that the healing process had begun, and Washu and Ryoko were here. Mihoshi and Kiyone had come to the celebration as well, taking a brief holiday from their busy careers. Deciding to talk to her sister, Sasami left Tenchi and made her way to where Washu and Ryoko stood. The two women appeared to be scanning the crowd for someone.

"Sister?" Sasami said softly.

Washu appeared startled. Ryoko muttered something and walked away, turning around only once to glare at Sasami. Knowing that it would take time for Ryoko to accept what she had done to Washu, Sasami was not offended. Instead, she chose to focus her attention on Washu ... but her sister was walking away, too.

"I want you to know," Washu said as she suddenly whirled around to look at Sasami, "that my daughter and I only came here to see Ayeka."

Sasami watched her sister and niece disappear into the crowd again. No matter, she decided. Eventually, they would accept their place, and accept the two gems from Tenchiken that she had offered to them. They could still be a part of her family, even though Ayeka could not. Sasami smiled.

---

While her mother continued to search for Ayeka at the celebration, Ryoko decided to go into town to search for her there. Using the hood of her cloak to hide her face in shadow, Ryoko headed towards a bar that served a particular type of Juraian sake that she knew Ayeka was rather fond of.

---

Ayeka emptied the contents of her glass in several quick gulps, but failed to feel any better. If anything, she felt worse. She sighed and wiped at the tears she imagined must be running down her face, and was surprised when all she felt was dry skin. She was too spent to even cry anymore.

Grunting with the effort, the princess shakily rose to her feet. Even though she was no longer the next in line to be empress, it was still her duty to attend the royal celebration and congratulate Sasami. She carefully made her way to the exit, hoping that the sake had dulled her emotions enough to get her through the rest of the night. Glancing at a nearby clock, Ayeka realized that the celebration would be over very soon. Just as well.

No one paid any attention to Ayeka as she left. Odds were that none of the other customers could even recognize the princess anymore. However, outside the bar, someone did.

Ayeka gasped in surprise as she was grabbed and pulled into an alley. Whoever had grabbed her suddenly threw her against the wall, causing her to see stars when the back of her head hit the bricks. When her vision cleared (at least, cleared as much as it could, given her current state), she realized that her attacker was the Juraian noble she had been engaged to, before she was deemed unfit to become empress.

The man moved closer to her, and Ayeka noticed that he smelled of alcohol. The princess' eyes went wide when she realized what the noble, doubtlessly enraged at the lost opportunity to become emperor, might do to her.

---

As Ryoko approached the bar, she saw someone throw Ayeka against a wall in an alley. Teleporting closer, Ryoko shouted, "Hey! Leave her alone!" Ryoko's hood fell back, and she bared her fangs.

Ayeka's attacker snarled and began to move towards her. Ryoko fired a blast of energy from her hand. It had been meant as a warning shot, but the way the man moved was surprisingly unsteady. He stumbled and fell directly into the path of Ryoko's blast. Ryoko realized, too late, that the man was drunk.

Ayeka let out a horrified scream as the shot pierced the man's heart. The body hit the ground, steam rising from the hole that the energy blast had left behind. A frightening silence followed, as it occurred to Ryoko and Ayeka that a Juraian noble was dead.

The princess found her voice first. "Miss Ryoko, get out of here!" she said frantically, "You must leave!"

Ryoko took a step closer to the princess. "But..." she began uncertainly.

Ayeka managed to find that she could cry again as well. "Please!" she said, tears spilling out of her eyes, "You will be executed if they find you!"

"None of them could catch me!" Ryoko protested, trying to take Ayeka by the arm.

"What about Tenchi? Or Sasami?" Ayeka reminded her.

There was the sound of people shouting and running towards the alley, and both women realized that Ayeka's scream must have been heard.

"Come with me," Ryoko said quickly.

Ayeka shook her head, a spark of her old determination returning to her eyes. "I'll stall them," the princess said quietly, "Go save your mother."

A sob escaped Ryoko's throat as she hugged Ayeka tightly. Then she was gone, and Ayeka was alone. Kneeling by the corpse, Ayeka decided that she could do more than mere stalling. She removed her ceremonial dagger from it's hiding place within her robes, and thrust it into the hole that Ryoko's energy blast had left in the man.

---

Letting Tenchi sleep, Sasami exited the bedroom alone and listened quietly to what the guard told her. "I will direct this matter myself," she said once he was done, "Make sure that my husband is not disturbed."

Without even waiting for a reply, Sasami left the guard behind and went to the cell where Ayeka was being held.

---

"I killed him," Ayeka told Sasami as steadily as she could, "I admit it, I killed Lord Toshiro."

Sasami frowned at Ayeka. The princess looked even more haggard and sickly than when she had left the Masaki home. Worse, she reeked of alcohol.

"If you are going to have me put to death, sister, do it quickly," Ayeka murmured.

Sasami stared hard into Ayeka's eyes, disgusted with her for attempting such deception. Did Ayeka really think that she could be fooled so easily? "You will stay here," said Sasami, "but you will not be put to death."

Sasami turned to one of the guards standing behind her. "We must find Ryoko," she said.

"No!" Ayeka screamed, trying to reach her sister through the branches that formed her cell, "Sasami, you are wrong! I killed him! It was me!"

"You are a liar," Sasami said coldly.

"Your highness!" a guard shouted, running into the room, "Ryo-Oh-Ki is trying to leave Juraian airspace!"

Sasami quickly followed the messenger out, ignoring Ayeka's cries.

---

The viewscreen showed several Juraian ships chasing Ryo-Oh-Ki. With a casual thought, Sasami willed her ship into existence in the sky, blocking the cabbit-ship's escape route. Ten Light Hawk Wings appeared, then stretched out into a spherical forcefield that surrounded the fugitive vessel.

"Oh no!" shouted Mihoshi, as several guards dragged her and Kiyone away. Sasami had ordered their arrests when they had refused to participate in the pursuit.

"Open communications," Sasami commanded.

Within seconds, a smaller viewscreen appeared in front of the first one, showing the interior of Ryo-Oh-Ki. Sasami could see Washu glaring at her. Ryoko was in the background, curled into a ball on the floor and sobbing.

"Sister," Sasami said softly, "It is not too late for you..."

"You are not taking my daughter away from me!" Washu screamed.

"Sister, listen to reason," Sasami said in her most soothing voice, "I am sorry, but Ryoko is a failure. She is not like us ... but it is not too late for you to start anew. If you would just allow yourself to obtain your old powers again, think of what we could do! You are limiting yourself! Why do you refuse to hear the song that flows from Tenchi and myself? Why do you hold back from adding your own voice to that song? The very stars move to our melody! Please, sister." Sasami finished this by holding out her hand invitingly.

As Sasami spoke, tears of rage appeared in Washu's eyes. Once Sasami had fallen silent and held her hand out, the scientist spat at the screen.

"You have become another Tokimi," said Washu, "As far as I am concerned, you are not my sister, and you are not Sasami either."

Washu's lower lip trembled, but she bit it and turned her back to Sasami, walking over to kneel beside Ryoko. She whispered something to her daughter, and Ryoko suddenly appeared to fall asleep.

Walking back to the screen, Washu glared at Sasami with such a wild look in her eyes that Sasami knew that she had lost her.

"No. Not again. Never again," Washu said in a fierce whisper, "You are not taking my baby away from me..." She reached for something outside of Sasami's view...

...and Ryo-Oh-Ki self-destructed.

Sasami maintained her forcefield, preventing the explosion from causing any damage. She had lost her sister. A sad waste. It was unfortunate, but it had been necessary. She could not allow anything to interfere with her plans for Tenchi, for herself, and for the universe. Everything had to be spotless. Immaculate. Perfect. Just as the cooking and cleaning she had done in the Masaki home had been an act of love for her Tenchi, this was an act of love for the entire universe. Her universe.

When the sun began to rise, Sasami made her way to the palace's kitchen, wondering if she could convince the cook to allow her to prepare Tenchi's breakfast.

Sasami smiled.

*************************************************************************

I still felt afraid to die, but I knew that if I didn't, then Daddy might. I took a deep breath and was about to jump off the ledge, when I suddenly heard a noise from somewhere behind me.

I turned around, and my heart almost stopped when I saw Tsunami walking towards me, her eyes fixed on the ground. I heard her crying softly. That was when I realized that I wasn't looking at Tsunami. It was Sasami.

Part of me wanted to jump off the ledge before Sasami could try to stop me, but I couldn't just see her crying and not want to help in any way I could.

"What's the matter?" I asked as I ran to her side.

"Oh! Mayuka!" said Sasami, obviously startled to find me here, "I-it's nothing, I'm fine..."

"You don't look fine," I said, putting my hand on her arm.

The effect my touch had on her surprised me. She sank to the ground and started sobbing loudly. She kept trying to say something, but it took a few tries before she could say it clearly enough for me to understand.

"I h-had a ... a bad dream..." she finally managed to say, "I was ... I was so cold..."

I gently touched her forehead, which was shiny with perspiration in the moonlight. "You feel hot to me," I said.

"No, I mean ... I was so CRUEL!" Sasami almost screamed. Her body shook as she cried harder than ever.

I put my arms around Sasami and tried my best to comfort her. I couldn't understand what she was talking about, but all that mattered to me right now was that Sasami was upset. As I held her, I started to get a strange tingly feeling in my arms. It soon spread to my entire body, but for some reason it wasn't scary. I was more worried about Sasami than myself.

I could feel the tingling in my head, and that was when I knew ... that was when I saw. I could see Sasami's nightmare in my mind, and it frightened me. But I knew that it couldn't possibly scare me more than it had scared Sasami. I could sense something else, too. Just as I had envied Sasami a few moments ago, I could feel that SHE envied ME. But ... why?

[Yuzuha's Yuzuha,] a voice said inside my mind, [and Mayuka's Mayuka.]

The voice sounded like Sasami's but I knew that it wasn't. [Tsunami?] I thought at the voice. Somehow I just knew that I didn't have to talk to her out loud.

[Do you remember those words now, Mayuka?] Tsunami said to me, [Do you remember who said them?]

[Wait a minute ... it was me, wasn't it?] I asked her.

[Yes,] said Tsunami, [Yuzuha is gone. But, even before her death, you had managed to free yourself from her control. Only you can decide what you will become. Mayuka is Mayuka.]

I could feel a slight twinge of envy from Tsunami, and fear as well. Why were Sasami and Tsunami feeling this way?

I thought about Sasami's dream, and then I realized what was going to happen ... or rather, how little Sasami and Tsunami knew about what was going to happen, once they assimilated. They had no idea what they would become, and it frightened them! I felt an overwhelming feeling of sadness, and I realized that, wherever Tsunami was, she was crying as well.

I wanted to comfort both of them, and say "Sasami's Sasami, and Tsunami's Tsunami," but I knew that, while it might be true right now, it wouldn't stay that way. They were going to become someone else, and for all they knew, they could become someone like that Sasami in the nightmare. They weren't in control of their destiny.

Moments ago, I had thought that Sasami had the most enviable fate in the universe. But I was wrong. Oh, was I ever wrong. I tried to hold Sasami even more tightly with my arms, while at the same time trying to hold - or at least reach out to - Tsunami with the tingling within me, which I realized must be my own hidden power. As I tried to hold them both, I saw something else in my mind.

It was the Juraian palace that I saw. I was about to ask Tsunami why she was showing me this, when somehow the knowledge came to me that I was seeing this through my own power. One side of the palace exploded, and water came pouring out. Somehow, I just knew that it had been the royal nursery, and that it had flooded because all of the royal trees were crying.

I tightened my hold on Sasami and Tsunami yet again, wishing that I could take all of their fears and sorrows away. But trying to do that would have been like trying to hold back the flood of water that spilled from the royal nursery. It was too much for one girl to handle. I could feel time spilling out of my grasp like water, as with each second, the time of the assimilation drew nearer and nearer ... the time when Sasami and Tsunami would both drown, and someone else would be there when the waters dried.

---

Author's notes: This fic was partly inspired by a dream that I had (Dream? More like nightmare!), so I even wrote part of it as a nightmare. I wasn't all that comfortable writing it, but there were some things that I thought had to be said. You think Sasami would never become so cruel? I hope you're right. But if she ever becomes willing to take Tenchi away from Ayeka and Ryoko, then I'll know that she has.

Anyway, I'd really appreciate your feedback, even if you didn't like this story. Please send me C&C, questions, or suggestions.

Thanks for reading!

Text copyright, 1999, Literary Eagle  
(But most of the characters belong to Pioneer and AIC)


End file.
